All I want for Christmas
by totti10
Summary: Merry Christmas to @humanityisastateofmind from your Tumblr (no longer a) Secret Santa! (aka flashingbluelight) A shamelessly fluffy and christmassy Riain one shot. Hope you - and anyone else reading - enjoy! Obviously if you can have Mariah Carey playing in the background so much the better ;) xx


**A/N: Merry Christmas to humanityisastateofmind from your Tumblr (no longer a) Secret Santa! (aka flashingbluelight) A shamelessly fluffy and christmassy Riain fic. Hope you - and anyone else reading - enjoy! Obviously if you can have Mariah Carey playing in the background so much the better ;-) xx**

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There was a blast of warm air and noise as the small blonde woman pushed open the pub door and stepped in out of the cold.

She stamped the snow off her boots and shivered as she adjusted to the drastic change in temperature.

Scanning the interior it didn't take long to locate the group of her colleagues towards the back of the room. Not least because they seemed to be responsible for most of the noise in the place. From what she could see the commotion appeared to be mainly a result of Big Mac wearing his mistletoe hat again.

The nurse's heart skipped a beat as she spotted one particular member of the group. _So he had decided to come_. She only realised she'd gone up on to her tiptoes in an attempt to locate him when he turned round and clocked her stare. Rita cursed herself silently as she tried to sink unnoticeably back to her heels, her hand instinctively going to her face to push away an imaginary strand of hair in order to cover the blush on her cheeks. She offered the man an awkward smile and headed for the bar.

 _What was it about Iain suddenly?_ They'd known each other for years but Rita had recently become a lot more aware of his presence any time he was around the ED. Underneath his sometimes macho exterior she had started to appreciate a softer side to him, a vulnerability that intrigued her. She'd been picking up on little comments at handover recently that illustrated the respect he had for her job as well as the way he could put patients of any age at ease. And then there was the tactility and teasing. She couldn't work out whether he'd only just started doing it or she'd only just started to notice but at the moment she felt like she was forever metaphorically having her pigtails pulled. Even Dixie had picked up on it, the senior paramedic rolling her eyes and commenting on them squabbling like a pair of siblings after one of their more heated exchanges. Rita remembered the incident well and would have been more annoyed with Iain had it not been for the distraction of him draping his arm around her shoulder at one point and running back to plant a kiss on her lips as part of his wind up. She'd ended up losing all train of thought and spent most of the rest of the day recalling the unexpected softness and warmth of the fleeting touch of his lips on hers.

She tried to shake the thoughts from her mind and bring herself back to the task in hand - what to drink? She wasn't sure how big a night she fancied having got used to the pub merely providing a temporary distraction at the end of a shift before heading back to her place to enjoy the rest of the evening in her own company. A sign of getting older she guessed, losing a night to alcohol and the next day to a hangover was having less and less appeal.

"Alright shorty, mine's a pint, ta!" Her thoughts were interrupted as the dark-haired paramedic joined her at the bar grinning cheekily, green eyes twinkling as he waited for the inevitable backlash at his choice of nickname. _Play it cool Freeman_ she told herself, an instruction that was made all the more difficult by the proximity of his athletic body to hers. Rita swallowed.

"Alright? Lager then?"

"Please, and whatever you're havin'" he winked at her.

"Such a gentleman" she retorted, reaching in her bag for her purse. She placed her order with the barman.

"Actually you're playing catch up. Wait here" Rita's eyes followed him as he disappeared back into the crowd to reemerge seconds later holding a tray above his head.

"Tequila!" He announced proudly setting down all the vital ingredients in front of her.

"Really? I'm not sure that's..." She stopped, biting her lip as she watched Iain lick the back of his hand.

"C'mon! You forgotten what to do?"'he teased as she stood motionless. Before she could stop him he'd grabbed her hand and ran his tongue along the back of that too. Rita felt an explosion of sensation in every skin cell his tongue and fingers had made made contact with. She felt herself blushing again.

"Easy tiger, how many have you had exactly?" She exclaimed.

"Ah only one other of these and a pint. But it's Christmas innit?" He said cheerily as he tipped salt onto both their hands and lined up the glasses and lemon. "Ready? Go!"

The pair locked eyes as they licked the salt off their hands, Rita shook her head as if to break the spell of his stare and turned her attention to the shot glass. She knocked the clear liquid back, distracted by the burning sensation at the back of her throat and the burst of warmth that flooded her body. Clamping her lips down on the slice of lemon, she looked back at Iain, their actions mirroring one another as they shuddered and gasped at the bitterness.

"Woah, that's better" smiled Rita, meaning it. She suddenly felt more relaxed in the man's company.

"You know there's a better way of doing those..." Iain said, raising an eyebrow in her direction "maybe after we've had a few more eh?"

Rita allowed herself a smile then turned to accept her drinks from the barman.

"I didn't think you were coming out tonight anyway" she said, changing the subject quickly and taking a large swig of the cold white wine.

"Well I wasn't, but I figured I'm off for a week until Boxing Day now - couldn't deprive you lot of any more of my company could I?"

"You're on holiday now then?" Rita tried to hide the disappointment in her voice.

"Yep, bit of Christmas shopping to do then I'm off to me sisters for a few days. Normally head there for Christmas Day if I'm not working but they're gonna be away with the inlaws. Looks like they get crazy Uncle Iain and his inappropriate presents early this year" he grinned.

"It's a case of hand over the trumpet and drum kit and leg it then is it?" Rita couldn't help smiling at the image.

"Pretty much!" He laughed. "Then we're not working Christmas Day so Dix has adopted me: microwave Christmas dinner, too much beer and a TV marathon, bless her" he smiled again. "You got plans?"

"Me? Yeah, dining table's barely gonna be big enough, you know how it is" Rita avoided Iain's eyes as she forced a smile. Dixie had actually invited her over as well but Rita had heard mention of another guest and declined stating other plans on the basis she didn't want to cramp her friend's style or take advantage of her hospitality. She felt like kicking herself now. "Did you get your secret Santa person today?" She continued, eager to move the conversation on.

Iain's eyes narrowed as he studied Rita's face. She always seemed so quick to deflect any personal questions away.

"I did yeah, no bother. Jack was loving the drama of it wasn't he? I was not surprised to find out that her owns a set of glitter pens I can tell you! Actually..." He continued slowly "the person who's got you was trying to get some clues about what you might like, anything you'd like me to pass on?" Iain shifted his weight to the other foot and looked down at the bar.

"Oh this person was were they?" She said raising her eyebrows, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. She leant in a bit nearer "Well you could let 'them' know that I like surprises if you like?" Iain laughed and nodded. Rita fingered the small piece of red card in her pocket she'd got from the receptionist earlier. She'd interrupted a guilty-looking Jack and Dixie deep in conversation the week before. Their new friendship had struck her as odd at the time but it was beginning to dawn on her exactly what they may have had to talk about.

"Sorry to leave you with the drinks but I just need to pay a quick visit. I'll be right back" Iain interrupted her thoughts then turned on his heels and left her alone at the bar. She settled the bill with the barman just as Big Mac came over to place his own order.

Rita downed most of the rest of her glass and delved into her bag for a pen.

"Big Mac! Just the man, what've you done with your hat?"

Iain returned to the bar to find only the large healthcare assistant leaning against it.

"Err... Did you see where Rita went mate?" He asked of his former paramedic colleague.

"Ah, I think she left Iain son, seemed in a bit of a hurry. I got the feeling she might be on a bit of a promise. Lucky fella eh?" The Welsh man chuckled to himself then turned to the barmaid to give his order.

Iain's heart sank, he'd been hoping tonight might be the night he'd get to know the nurse a bit better. He turned back to where his pint was stood next to Rita's empty glass on the bar and sighed. Looking down he spotted a folded piece of red card propped up next to his glass. Confusion etched his face as he read what had been scribbled on the front: "All I want for Christmas..." He flicked the card open to read the glittery scrawl inside and his eyes widened. Grabbing his coat he took a large swig of his pint, thumped a goodbye onto Big Mac's back and rushed out through the pub doors.

"Shit!" He exclaimed to the deserted exterior. His hand reached up to scratch the back of his neck, while he wondered what an earth to do next. He felt an icy sting thud into his raised hand "What the...?" The fingers on his hand were now covered in snow.

"Alright shorty?" The voice and apparent source of the snow came from above and behind him, he span around.

"Rita!" She was stood on the deep windowsill of the bookies next door to the pub "What are you doing up there?"

Rita looked sheepish.

"Humm...Hoping you'd come outside? Throwing a snowball? And..." she proffered a sprig of mistletoe from behind her back, smiling nervously "What are you doing down there?"

Iain took several steps towards where she stood and held up the piece of card with his name on by way of an answer. He was smiling too now and his eyes didn't leave the face of the petite blonde as he approached her.

Rita took a deep breath not quite believing what was happening. Suddenly nothing seemed to matter apart from the fact that Iain was stood in front of her. Before she knew it he had reached for her, one arm wrapped around her thighs one the other her waist, and lowered her effortlessly to the ground, his hands moving to encircle her waist. The strength of his grip and closeness of his body causing Rita's breath to quicken. She tilted her head towards his. Iain's eyes were still fixed on her, their faces almost touching.

She gasped as he pushed her back against the wall, his mouth slamming onto hers. The warmth of his lips sent adrenalin pumping round her body. Rita's heart pounded in her chest as she responded, her hand reaching for his neck, fingers raking through his short hair as she pulled him closer. His lips hungrily caressed hers, their tongues pushing against each other. The smell and taste of him was sending her dizzy with desire. He bit down on her bottom lip causing her to moan into his mouth. Spurred on, he moved his hand up from her waist to cup the back of her head, grabbing a handful of her short blonde hair as he pushed himself further against her.

They eventually broke apart, breathless. Rita's heart was hammering in her chest, her cheeks flushed.

"Wow"

"Yeah wow" echoed Rita, feeling pretty unsteady on her feet. She rested her hands on Iain's muscular chest.

"What now then?" He asked laughing as he planted a kiss on Rita's forehead, his arms wrapped around her back.

"I was thinking I might ask Dixie if my invite for Christmas day still stands" ventured Rita. "If she'll have me then it kinda beats what I had planned"

"If she won't have you then I will" said Iain with a wink "I can't believe she didn't tell me she'd invited you too. Why do I get the feeling she might have been trying to play Cupid?"

"Yeah her and Jack both" Rita concluded smiling.

"Do you want to go back in there or shall I walk you home?" Asked Iain.

"Home sounds like a good idea, thanks" Rita replied as Iain tried not to look disappointed at the thought of their evening being cut short.

"And then I was thinking..." Rita bit her lip and looked up at Iain through her long lashes. "I know it's not Christmas yet, but maybe you could come in for a bit and we could unwrap our Secret Santas?"

Iain's eyes lit up as he entwined his fingers in hers and leant in to place another soft kiss on her lips.

"Oh really?" he said grinning. "I think you better lead the way."


End file.
